"Losing My Mind" is a song written by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

originally for the 1971 musical '' Follies'' for the character of a former showgirl, Sally Durant Plummer. The song became a popular top ten hit for singer and actress

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

in 1989 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and in Europe. "Losing My Mind" has been covered by many artists over the years.

''Follies''

Background

"Losing My Mind" was first performed by Dorothy Collins in the role of Sally Durant Plummer in the original Broadway production of ''Follies''." ''Follies'', 1971 Broadway Production"
SondheimGuide.com, accessed June 7, 2011 Other performers who have sung the song in later productions of ''Follies'' include Barbara Cook (1985),

Julia McKenzie Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie (born 17 February 1941) is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFT ...

(1987), Donna McKechnie (1998), Judith Ivey (2001), Victoria Clark (2007), Bernadette Peters (2011) and

Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre produ ...

(2017). The song was written as a torch song for the character of Sally to sing in the "Loveland" portion of the musical. The song "expresses her preoccupation with Ben, her idealized lover...With infinite attention to detail, Sondheim leads Sally from sunrise to sleepless night, revealing that every second of her existence is defined by her longing...the number ...explores the extent to which she has lost herself in this make-believe world of undying desire." As originally staged, Sally comes onstage in a "clinging, beaded silver" dress, holding a microphone.Goodhart, Sando
"The End of Ever After"
''Reading Stephen Sondheim; A Collection of Critical Essays'', Taylor & Francis, 2000, , p. 23 The "cute" Sally from Phoenix "has become a languid torch singer." She repeats her lines, reflecting "the paralysis about which she sings...the phrase 'It's like I'm losing my mind' occurs no less than six times." In the first literary resume of his career, ''Finishing the Hat'', Sondheim reveals that the song is a

pastiche A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it ...

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

and

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

's " The Man I Love".

Liza Minnelli version

Background

In the

, the most successful version has been by American singer and actress

, reaching number six. In Ireland, Minnelli's version reached number two. It was the lead single from her 1989 studio album, ''Results'', produced by

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

and

Julian Mendelsohn Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run b ...

. The 12" release peaked at number eleven on the ''Billboard'' Maxi Singles Sales chart. It also peaked at number twenty-six on the American dance chart. The Pet Shop Boys demo version of "Losing My Mind" (which has Neil Tennant singing the vocal) was later remixed and released as a B-side on the Pet Shop Boys' single, " Jealousy". This demo version contains a scream that Minnelli opted not to include on her release. The Pet Shop Boys also performed the song as part of their 2022 tours ''Dreamworld'' in Europe and ''Unity Tour'' (with New Order) in the United States. In 2004, '' Q'' magazine featured Minnelli's version of the song in their list of "The 1010 Songs You Must Own

Critical reception

David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' stated that Minnelli is "brought back to life" by the

on the track. Edwin J. Bernard from '' Number One'' described the singer's cover version of "Losing My Mind" as "high energy". Joe Brown from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote, "Minnelli utterly misses the song's irony and delicacy, playing it instead as if she's literally going nuts, complete with a mid-song electronic freak-out fugue and a spoken soliloquy, guaranteed to raise a camp clamor on the dance floor." When reviewing the single, Phil Cheeseman of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' wrote that "the Pet Shop Boys are people who understand exactly what pop music's about: nothing. That's why they are so good".

Track listings

* 7" Epic / ZEE 1 (UK) # "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09 # "Tonight Is Forever" – 5:03 * also released on MC (ZEE M1) * 12" Epic / ZEE T1 (UK) # "Losing My Mind" (extended mix) – 7:01 # "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09 # "Tonight Is Forever" – 5:03 * also available on CD (ZEE C1) * 12" Epic / 49-68858 (US) # "Losing My Mind" (extended remix) – 7:01 # "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09 # "Losing My Mind" (Ultimix) – 7:32 # "Losing My Mind" (Ultimix dub) – 5:07

Charts

References

External links

"Recordings of Songs, 'Losing My Mind' ", SondheimGuide.com
{{authority control 1971 songs 1989 singles Torch songs Shirley Bassey songs Liza Minnelli songs Songs from musicals Songs written by Stephen Sondheim Song recordings produced by Julian Mendelsohn Epic Records singles

''Follies''

Background

Liza Minnelli version

Background

Critical reception

Track listings

Charts

See also

References

External links